


You Pick Me Up And Take Me Home Again

by annemari



Series: You Pick Me Up And Take Me Home Again [2]
Category: Bandom, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Dragons, M/M, Magical Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-27
Updated: 2013-09-27
Packaged: 2017-12-27 19:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/982534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annemari/pseuds/annemari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens is that Mikey steals a dragon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Pick Me Up And Take Me Home Again

**Author's Note:**

  * For [turps](https://archiveofourown.org/users/turps/gifts).



> Written for no_tags 2013, fall round! Thank you so much to **quintenttsy** for betaing! Title from Lorde's "400 Lux".

What happens is that Mikey steals a dragon.

"How?" Gerard asks. "How do you go to a party in the city and end up stealing a dragon?"

"I didn't _really_ steal it," Mikey says. "They might not even notice it's gone."

"How could they not notice their dragon is gone?" Gerard asks, throwing up his hands. "And who's they?"

Mikey sighs. "We passed Millar's winter residence on our way back to the hotel. The dragon had probably escaped the stables. It was at the fence, trying to get out."

"So you helped it," Gerard says. "That's still stealing."

"Gee," Mikey says. "You know how they treat their dragons."

Gerard sighs and crosses his arms. Mikey can see he's giving in; Gerard's never liked Millar, and there's always talk about how the dragons Millars breed are weak and sickly.

"You still stole it," Gerard says. "What if they find you? Mikey, what if—"

"They won't," Mikey says. "They don't care, you know that. We'll just say that Gabe hooked us up with a dragon from the North. He'll back us up, no one will question it."

Gerard still looks skeptical, but Mikey knows it's just worry.

"They don't even have tracking spells on their dragons," Mikey says. "They don't care. And she was gonna die there, Gee, you know she would have."

Gerard's face turns sad, and he sighs again. "Okay. Okay, fine. Where is she?"

Mikey unbuttons his coat and Gerard's eyes go wide when he lifts the small dragon out. She's clinging to Mikey's shirt, and he has to gently pull her claws away from it. She doesn't wake up, just yawns and curls up in Mikey's arms. She's the size of a small cat, and she ran right up to Mikey when he first called her, and she slept right on his heart on the way home.

"Oh my god," Gerard says. "She's so cute."

Mikey smiles and gently scratches the top of her head. His shirt is probably ruined—unless claw marks are in now—but he doesn't care at all.

"I don't know," Mikey says, mock-serious. "Are you _sure_ we can keep her?"

"Fuck you," Gerard says easily. He steps closer, reaching out to run his fingers over the scales on her back. "I was just worried about you. Also, stealing is wrong. Mostly."

Mikey chuckles, and the dragon makes a soft noise in response, still asleep.

"What are we gonna name her?" Gerard asks.

"I was thinking Bunny."

"You might give her an identity crisis," Gerard says.

Mikey shrugs. "It'll be fine."

"I think it suits her," Gerard says, which is why Mikey loves him. Gerard is the best brother. "And when she grows it'll be fucking amazing. Meet our giant dragon, Bunny."

"She's not gonna be giant," Mikey says.

"Still big," Gerard says. "Big enough to ride, definitely."

"Yeah," Mikey says, feeling warm. "She'll be the best dragon ever."

"Fuck," Gerard says. "We'll need to rebuild the stable."

Bunny lets out a content sigh and Mikey grins.

"Come on," Gerard says, briefly squeezing Mikey's shoulder. "Breakfast, for you and Bunny. And then we have to go through all of grandma's books, because I can't remember how to take care of dragons anymore."

~

Bunny doesn't grow. Mikey remembers when their parents still had dragons; they could grow several feet in even one week when they were still as tiny as Bunny is now.

But Bunny doesn't grow at all. She spends most of her time sleeping, and she always looks tired. She hardly ever moves her wings.

"We have to take her to a doctor," Gerard says.

Mikey swallows hard and keeps petting Bunny's head. She makes little wheezing noises in her sleep. They don't sound dangerous, not like they're coming from her lungs, but it still makes his stomach hurt. "A doctor where?"

"The vet in town."

"I thought we didn't have that anymore?"

"No, we do," Gerard says. "One of the Ieros took it over from Mr Charles."

"Huh," Mikey says.

"How did you not know that?"

Mikey shrugs. He doesn't usually end up in the area the clinic is in. And it's not exactly something people gossip about.

"It's still on East Street, right?" he asks.

"Yeah," Gerard says.

"Maybe we should take her straight to the city hospital," Mikey says.

"And risk someone finding out she's not ours?"

"She _is_ ours," Mikey says.

"No, I know," Gerard says. "Of course she is. You know what I meant."

"Shit," Mikey says. "Yeah, okay. I mean, there's no way they could actually know, right?"

Gerard shrugs. "She hadn't been branded yet, so I think we're okay. And we have our story straight. It's just better to be safe."

"Okay," Mikey says, and gently strokes Bunny's nose.

"You should go now," Gerard says. "You're not doing anything today, right?"

"You're not coming?" Mikey asks.

"I have a meeting with a client," Gerard says apologetically. "I'm—shit, I'm running late. Where's my bag?"

Mikey gets up and goes to fetch Gerard's bag. He grabs his thermos as well and slips it into the bag, checking before that it's shut tight. He comes back to the front hall to find Gerard kneeling on the floor, and petting Bunny. Bunny makes a sad noise and curls up.

Gerard looks up at Mikey, his eyes slightly damp but his expression determined.

"Here," Mikey says, holding out Gerard's bag. "There's coffee as well."

Gerard stands up, takes the bag and pulls Mikey into a hug.

"She'll be okay," he says firmly.

"Yeah," Mikey says, throat tight. "She will."

~

Mr Charles's Hospital of Magical Creatures is hidden on a side-street on the other edge of town. Mikey stares at the new sign; it's now called Iero's Hospital of Magical Creatures, and there's a drawing of a small dragon in the right corner.

He checks on Bunny in her basket—she's asleep, as usual—and walks into the clinic. Immediately, he's hit with the smell of medicine and a lot of animals in a tiny space.

The front room has a couple of displays of food and toys and stuff, as well as a desk, but no sign of any sick creatures or other clients. There's a man standing behind the counter, smiling at Mikey.

"Hey," the dude says. "Can I help you?"

Mikey walks up to the desk, fiddling with the handle of the basket. "Uh, yeah, I guess so? I think my dragon is sick."

"Do you have an appointment?" the dude asks. His name tag says Dr. Iero. Doctor Iero is really young. Mikey's kind of thrown. The dude looks younger than he is.

Mikey blinks. "An appointment?"

"Or would you like to make one?" Iero asks. "A dragon, you said? I can do a house-call tomorrow morning, unless it's an emergency, of course."

"Oh," Mikey says. "No, uh, I have her with me?" He points at the basket. 

Iero peeks over the counter and his face clears. "Oh, cool," he says. "Well, usually people make an appointment unless it's an emergency. But you're in luck, I have a bit of time before my next one."

"Sorry," Mikey says.

"No worries," Iero says. "Let's go into the back, come on. Greg, watch the door."

Something chirps, and Mikey startles, only now noticing a small red bird in the corner.

The bird chirps again and stares at Mikey. Mikey stares back.

"Come on," Iero says again. He sounds amused. "Quit it, Greg." The bird looks away. Mikey shakes his head and follows Iero into the back.

~

"What's she eating?"

"A combination of things," Mikey said. "Young dragon food, and, like, sheep. Prepared."

Iero nods, looking impressed. "Good."

"Our parents used to have dragons," Mikey says.

"Okay," Iero says. "So she's eating well but not gaining any weight or growing?"

Mikey nods and runs his hand over Bunny's back. She's curled up on the examination table; she woke up briefly when Mikey took her out of her basket, took stock of where she was, and fell back asleep.

"And she sleeps all the time," Mikey says. "As you can see."

"Okay," Iero says. "I'm gonna check for a couple of things, just to rule them out."

Mikey nods again, biting his lip. "Will it hurt her?"

"No," Iero says. "Some of it might just be uncomfortable."

"Okay," Mikey says, and Iero gets to work. 

Mikey tries to relax, but he can't stand still. He bounces on his toes, rocking back and forth, hoping it won't bother Iero.

"Are you always this twitchy?" Iero asks. "Or are you just worried about..."

"Bunny."

"That's a rad name for a dragon."

Mikey smiles. "Thanks." He sticks his hands in his pocket. "And yeah, I guess I am. Twitchy."

Iero nods but doesn't say anything else, so Mikey hopes he's not too annoyed.

"Huh," Iero says, looking at Bunny's claws. "Interesting."

"What?" Mikey asks. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, no," Iero says. "It's just this mark, it looks—huh."

Shit. Mikey remembers with a jolt that even if some breeders don't have their dragons tracked then they all still brand them in some way. He totally forgot. He thought the small patch of red color near Bunny's claw was just a pigment thing or something.

Fuck. Mikey holds his breath, then realizes that's probably suspicious and tries to relax. He tries really hard not to say, "This is not a stolen dragon."

"This looks like she came from the Millars," Iero says. "But they don't sell dragons so small." He looks up at Mikey with raised eyebrows.

Fuck. "I—we—fuck, okay, I didn't buy her, I mean, I found her and she looked like she needed help and I just-please, you have to help her, I don't care if you rat me out."

"Whoa, whoa," Iero says. "What's your name?"

"Mikey."

"Okay, Mikey," Iero says. "First of all, of course I'm gonna help her. And I'm not gonna tell anyone. I should, technically, but I'm not going to." His face turns serious. "A lot of dragons die on that plantation. I'm not going to be the one to send her back there."

Mikey takes a deep breath and nods. "Thank you."

Iero shrugs. "You don't have to thank me."

"Do you think—will anyone else be able to tell? That she's stolen?"

Iero tilts his head. "Right now, maybe. But when she gets bigger they'll probably just assume you bought her. You have the necessary papers, right?"

Mikey thinks of Gabe. "Um. Sort of."

Iero raises his eyebrows.

"We have a living permit," Mikey says. "We'll get the other stuff if needed."

Iero nods. "Then you'll be fine."

"But will she be?"

Iero purses his lips, and nods. "It seems her body has trouble absorbing nutrients. I'm gonna give her a special tonic that should help with that."

"And then she'll be fine?"

Iero nods slowly. "She should be. If the tiredness persists then you should come back and we'll do other tests. But right now we're just gonna try the tonic. And you'll come back in a week or so to show how she's doing. You can put her back in her basket now."

Mikey picks Bunny up and bundles her back into her basket. She sighs softly and snuffles. Mikey strokes her head. She's gonna be fine. She has to be.

He follows Iero back out to the front room, feeling lighter.

"Here," Iero says, handing Mikey the tonic and naming the price.

"She should get better fast," Iero says. "You've been taking good care of her."

"Thanks," Mikey says. "Seriously, thank you so much, Doctor Iero."

"Oh, dude, call me Frank," Iero says, grinning wide. He has a nice smile.

The door chimes and a short woman with dark hair walks in. She's carrying a large bag and she smiles when she sees Iero. Greg the bird chirps in greeting.

"Hey, Frank. New client?"

"Jamia, meet Mikey," Frank says. "He brought in a dragon who wasn't growing well. Mikey, this is Jamia, my friend and coworker."

"A dragon?" Jamia asks, walking up to the counter.

"Bunny," Mikey says, showing her Bunny's basket.

She grins. "She's cute. Here, I got you lunch." She deposits the bag on the counter and Frank's eyes light up.

"You're fucking amazing," he says. "I'm gonna take my break right now."

"You only have ten minutes until your next appointment."

"Well, then I'll eat here," Frank says, shrugging out of his lab coat and pushing up his sleeves.

"Sweet tattoos," Mikey says, impressed.

"Thanks," Frank grins. "You have any?"

"Nah," Mikey says. "I like them, though." Frank's arms are covered in colors. Now that Frank's not wearing gloves Mikey can see some even on his fingers. Frank's interesting.

"Well, thanks again," Mikey says.

Frank takes a huge bite of his sandwich just then, so he merely waves his hand in response, chewing vigorously. Mikey raises his eyebrows, amused.

Frank sets down the sandwich and pulls up a pad of paper, scribbling something on top.

"A week from today," Frank says. "Here." He hands Mikey a slip of paper. "An appointment."

"Right," Mikey says. "I think I've heard of those."

Frank laughs, a short giggle that makes Mikey want to smile in response. He looks at the appointment—it just says, "Mikey and Bunny — 2PM on Tuesday". It's sweet. Mikey's not sure why he thinks it's sweet, but he does.

"Thanks, Frank," Mikey says, taking Bunny's basket. "Bye, Jamia."

"Take care," Frank says. "See you next week."

~

"Wow," says Frank.

Mikey grins and leads Bunny up to the counter. She's excited, straining on her chain to see more of the clinic, but still staying close to Mikey.

"Wow," Frank says again. "Hi there."

"I know, right?" Mikey grins. "She's doing so much better."

"I can see that." Frank comes out from behind the counter and crouches down, waiting to see if Bunny will come to him. She hesitates but Mikey strokes her neck and she seems to make up her mind, slowly walking up to Frank. She's the size of a large dog now, and it's only been a week. She's so much more alive now.

"Hey," Frank says, holding his hand up. "How are you?"

She tilts her head, then steps close. Frank's fingers brush against the scales on her neck and she shivers and makes a pleased noise. Frank smiles and runs his hand over her side. She flaps her wings—they're not strong enough that she can fly yet, but Mikey's sure she'll get there soon. That's one of the things he wants to ask Frank about.

"You're doing really well, aren't you?" Frank asks.

"She's growing every day," Mikey says. "We really have to get started on rebuilding the old stable for her."

Frank laughs. "Yeah, it looks that way."

"Gerard said he'd deal with it, but he probably forgot already." Mikey frowns. "I have to write it down."

"I really doubt you can forget, especially when she gets strong enough to fly." Frank runs gentle fingers over the ends of Bunny's wings; she flaps them slowly and he grins and pushes himself to his feet. "Who's Gerard?" he asks Mikey.

"My brother," Mikey says. "I live with him."

Frank nods. "Cool. Well, come on into the back, I'll just do a quick check-up."

Mikey's less nervous and worried this time, so he has time to notice that the one back room isn't all there is; Bunny seems curious about the rest of the back area as well.

"Hey, no," Frank says, smiling, when Bunny tries to pass by the door and continue on down the hallway. "I'm sure you wanna make friends, but not yet."

"There are other dragons back there?"

"Not right now," Frank says, pointing at the table. Mikey raises his eyebrows but Frank just keeps smiling. Mikey shrugs and together they help Bunny onto the table. She barely fits, but she lies down on it just fine.

Frank starts the check-up; Mikey just holds Bunny down when needed or helps with the small stuff. Most of what Frank's doing would go over his head, but Frank explains everything with an easy, no-nonsense attitude.

"So what did you mean you have no dragons now?" Mikey asks while Frank is checking Bunny's claws.

"Well, we have some animals here who currently have no home. Or who are sick so they have to be watched, or some people who go on trips leave their pets here for a while if they can't find any other place. Or some are here post-operation, they'll get picked up soon."

"Wow," Mikey says. "That's really cool. Do you have enough space for them all?"

"Yeah," Frank says. "There are never that many, you know. This is a small town, so."

"Who do you have now?"

"A young three-headed dog—she has ear problems—and a couple of pixies. And I have a client come pick up their baby hippogriff today, he's sleeping off a surgery."

"Cool," Mikey says. "I'd love to meet some of them, but, like, I don't know how Bunny would feel about that?"

Frank grins. "Dragons are possessive, yeah."

"Oh," Mikey says. "I was thinking, like, how she'd get along with other animals. She's never really spent time with any."

"Well, dragons are more solitary," Frank says. "They like people, but not all of them. They don't usually attack other animals, though, not out of the blue. Especially if you tell them not to."

Mikey nods. "Yeah, we had dragons and only one dog, and they got along."

"Yeah, they like dogs," Frank says. "Cats even more, though. There's no conflict there, because of the lack of magic."

"Well, Gerard's allergic to cats," Mikey says.

Frank grins. "I like dogs more, anyway."

Mikey blinks. "Cool."

"Well," Frank says, stepping back from the table and smiling up at Mikey, bright and happy. "She still needs to take the tonic, of course, but she is doing remarkably better."

Mikey blinks again. He realizes after a beat that he's staring at Frank, at his eyes.

He looks down quickly, and reaches out to pet Bunny. "Great," he says. "Thanks."

"Need help getting her down?" Frank asks.

Mikey shakes his head and lifts Bunny down. She's very close to getting too heavy to lift, but Mikey can still manage.

"Impressive," Frank says.

Mikey blinks. "What?"

Frank smiles again. "I just mean, looking at you I wouldn't expect you to lift a near ninety-pound dragon."

Mikey raises his eyebrows and pointedly looks down at Frank.

Frank laughs. "Hey, I may be short but I'm strong."

"Sure," Mikey says. "You probably have to ask Jamia to do the heavy lifting."

"Shit," Frank says, grinning. "She is stronger than me." Mikey wonders again if they're together. He's not gonna ask, though.

"So do we need to come in again soon?"

"Maybe in a month or two," Frank says. "No need to bring her before that if she's doing fine. She'll probably be too big to come in anyway. But you should come by when she starts trying to breathe fire, there's something to help her with that."

"Cool," Mikey says. "And then maybe you can introduce me to some other animals you'll have here at the time."

"Of course," Frank says, indicating for Mikey to follow him back to the front of the clinic. "I mean, you've already met Greg. He's Jamia's."

Mikey looks over at Greg, giving him a nod. He barely gives Mikey a glance. "I don't think he likes me."

"He's like that with everyone," Frank smiles. "Nothing personal."

Bunny's staring at Greg as well, tilting her head and making a soft hissing noise. She doesn't sound angry, though, just curious.

"Anyway," Mikey says. "I should go, before she remembers she hasn't eaten since this morning."

Frank laughs again. He has a really nice laugh. Mikey likes it.

Bunny curls her tail around Mikey's leg, and Mikey smiles down at her. "Fine, we're going. When do you think she'll start to breathe fire?" he asks Frank.

"Soonish," Frank says. "Maybe a bit later than they usually would, because she was so weak earlier, but I'd say within the month."

Mikey nods. "So I'll see you then."

"And hopefully not before," Frank says.

Mikey frowns, thrown, and Frank laughs and shakes his head. 

"I mean hopefully you won't have to come in with an emergency, or because she gets sick again," he says. "Not like that, dude. You can come by whenever you're around."

Mikey tilts his head. "I don't need an appointment?"

"I might make an exception."

Mikey grins back. "Okay," he says. "I might hold you to it."

Bunny butts her head against Mikey's knee, and starts dragging him toward the door. Soon she'll be too big for a leash as well. He and Gerard really need to come up with a plan.

"She'll start breathing fire before she'll start flying, right?" Mikey asks.

"Yeah," Frank says. "Just a bit, usually. Like I said, there might be some problem with the fire, there might not, but some help is always good so you should come by then."

Mikey nods. "I—this is gonna sound really stupid."

Frank crosses his arms. "Shoot."

"Just." Mikey sighs. "I don't want to put her in any restraints, but—"

"You're afraid she might fly away."

"I know the dragons my parents had never did," Mikey says. "But I never—I didn't take care of them, you know? But it's stupid, I know. They don't just leave."

"It's not stupid," Frank says. "But you're right, she's not going anywhere. She trusts you. You—you saved her, you know? But even without that, she'd trust you. She's yours now, dude. And it's a responsibility, but you're doing pretty well."

Mikey quirks up the corner of his mouth, and shrugs. "Whatever," he says. "I mean, thanks, you know? I just worry, I guess."

"Hey," Frank says, and Mikey looks up to meet his eyes. "I get it."

His eyes are serious, and beautiful, and he's looking at Mikey like he knows him. Mikey swallows hard. "Thanks," he says. Bunny tugs at the leash again, and he gives Frank an apologetic look. "I really should—"

"Go." Frank makes a shooing motion. "I have a ton of appointments coming in soon anyway. And to be honest, not all of them would probably appreciate a dragon. Sorry, Bunny. You're great, but they're afraid you'll eat them."

Mikey sighs. "Come on, Bunny, you're not appreciated here."

"Hey, don't put words in my mouth," Frank says, grinning. "Don't listen to him, Bunny."

Bunny throws a cool look Frank's way and Mikey laughs. "See you later, Frankie."

"See you," Frank says, smiling softly. Mikey gives him a wave and lets Bunny drag her out of the clinic.

~

"And next time," Frank says, "please make sure your three-headed dog can't get into the meat supply while you're at work."

The man gives Frank a sheepish no and picks up his dog. Mikey holds the door open for them, then walks up to the counter, smiling at Frank.

"Hey," Frank says, grinning wide in return. "Bunny breathing fire yet?"

"She's trying," Mikey says. "Doing pretty okay, but I came for that thing you said would help."

"Oh, yeah, let me find it." Frank starts looking through the cabinets; Mikey lets his gaze travel over the room. It's the same as always, here. It feels comforting.

"That dog gonna be okay?" Mikey asks.

"Should be," Frank says. "It looked bad at first, but yeah, should be fine. Here's a tip for you, never let Bunny eat a whole herd of cows. Overeating dogs are not fun, but dragons are even worse."

"She wouldn't eat a whole herd," Mikey says, widening his eyes.

Frank grins. "You never know. But nah, she'd have to be a lot bigger for that. Here's the fire tonic. It should take care of her energy levels and that should help her exercise her control."

"Thanks," Mikey says. He pays for it, and pockets it, and then realizes he technically doesn't have any excuse to stay. But he really doesn't want to leave. Frank doesn't seem busy, and Mikey's been thinking about stopping by for a couple of days now, since Bunny first left a scorch mark on the kitchen table.

"So," Frank says, resting his arms on the counter. "What do you do?"

"What?" Mikey asks.

Frank shrugs. "Well, you know I'm a vet. So you have that advantage over me. What do you do?"

"Oh," Mikey says. "I don't really have a job? Heritage. I just—go out with friends. And I like to read." He doesn't usually think about it, but in sight of Frank being amazing and potentially life-saving he feels pretty shitty about not doing anything important.

Frank's expression doesn't change, though; he's still smiling. "What sort of books?"

"Horror," Mikey says. "Some historical fiction, some nonfiction. But I like horror. I've tried to write a bit myself?"

"Oh, cool," Frank says. "Finished anything?"

"Not really," Mikey admits.

"Well, you still can if you want to," Frank says.

"I guess. Do you do anything besides this?"

"I used to be in bands, and I still sometimes write music."

"That's awesome," Mikey says. "I play the piano a little bit."

Frank grins. "See, you're totally holding out on me."

Mikey shrugs. "I just forget, I guess. I mean, I don't have a real job, so—"

Frank shakes his head. "So you're into music?"

"Totally," Mikey says. "But if you ask me what genre then I couldn't tell you."

Frank laughs. "Nice."

"Did you always want to be a vet?" Mikey asks. "It's just—it seems like you fit in here really well. I just remember Mr Charles, and he was like a really old dude, so I was surprised to see you and Jamia at first."

Frank tilts his head. "I love animals, and I want to help them. I mean, it's not that easy, obviously. But that's the gist of it."

Mikey nods, feeling a bit foolish for asking.

"Speaking of," Frank says. "Bunny's gonna start flying soon, right? Are you gonna teach her?"

"Oh, yeah," Mikey says. "I haven't flown in a couple of years, but back when my parents had dragons I used to be in the air, like, all the time. They had trouble getting me to come down for food."

Frank laughs. "That bad?"

"Sometimes I'd take my brother with me and we'd go see what was around the mountains," Mikey says. "Which we weren't allowed to do, but whatever, right? I mean, we got into trouble, but Gerard used to take most of the blame, so they never banned me from flying."

"Cool," Frank says. "So you really like it?"

"Yeah," Mikey says. "My riding clothes are way too small for me, though. I need to go get a new outfit made."

"Yeah?" Frank asks, running his eyes over Mikey. "Those outfits are pretty rad."

Mikey looks away, feeling a blush creeping on. Stupid face, trying to betray him.

"Yeah," he says, trying to slip back into "cool and unconcerned". "I'm excited about getting new gloves for it. Is that weird?"

"Nah," Frank says. "Are you excited about the goggles, too?"

Mikey makes a face. "Not really." He used to have glasses when he was younger, and fitting goggles over them was always awful. He won't have to do that now, but the memories have stuck.

Frank laughs. "Honestly, you could probably make them look good."

Mikey swallows. Frank's flirting is totally throwing him off. Not in, like, a bad way, he's not annoyed. It just makes his stomach feel weird. He's not sure what to say.

"You speak from experience?" he asks. Fuck, now he's thinking about Frank wearing one of them. He'd look fucking hot.

"I never had one of those outfits," Frank says. "I've never really flown."

"Really?" Mikey asks. "Wow. I mean, I thought..."

Frank shakes his head, smiling. "We didn't have any dragons when I was growing up. And I didn't want to ride one of the ones at the country fairs, you know, it seemed cruel."

"But now?" Mikey asks. "You've never had the chance?"

Frank shakes his head again. "I mean, technically I've flown, I've been in the carrier. They had to fly me to a hospital in the Oak county once when I was really sick. But I've never rode one."

"I could take you," Mikey says.

Frank's eyes go wide, and then he smiles. "You don't have to, man."

His grin is saying something else, though. It's infectious. "It's the least I could do," Mikey says, shrugging. "You saved Bunny."

Frank's face falls a little. "You don't owe me anything for that. Besides, you already paid me. I don't need you to—like—it's not like that, Mikey, I'm a vet."

"Okay," Mikey says, blinking. "But I still do want to take you."

Frank raises his eyebrows. "You want to take me, huh?"

"Flying," Mikey says. "I want to take you—wait, does that sound any better?"

Frank laughs, loud and happy, and Greg chirps, which sets off a couple of parrots who seem to be waiting for their owner to pick them up and a two-headed dog who was previously sleeping in the corner.

"I'd love to go flying with you," Frank says, raising his voice over the cacophony of noise. He's grinning really wide. Mikey's helpless in the face of it. He has to smile back.

"I'd tell you to get a room," Jamia says, and Mikey tries not to jump ten feet into the air, "but Frank, you have an appointment coming right up."

"Shit," Frank says, and stuffs the rest of the sandwich in his mouth. Mikey looks away, feeling totally thrown.

He's used to flirting, he likes it, whether it ever leads to anything or not. But for some reason Frank always makes him feel so off-balance, even about easy shit as this.

"I should go," he says. "Thanks for the tonic. Uh, I'll let you know how it works."

Frank looks up from where he's cleaning the counter from bread crumbs, his face open and a bit confused. Mikey can't look at him. "You sure you don't need anything else?"

"Yeah," Mikey says. "I'm good, thanks. See you."

"Bye," Frank says. "Give Bunny my best."

Mikey nods and hurries out of the clinic, barely avoiding running into a firecat coming in for its appointment. He throws the owner a quick apology and rushes out.

~

The thing is, Mikey doesn't want a relationship. He likes going out into the city with friends, and he also likes staying indoors for days and entertaining himself with books from the huge library he and Gerard have put together, and some days he feels like doing both. What he doesn't really feel like is being in a relationship. It's just not something he's made for.

What he does want, though, is for Frank to keep smiling at him. Smiling at him in that way that makes Mikey feel special, even though Frank probably smiles at everyone like that.

He might also want to kiss Frank and he is, admittedly, curious about how many tattoos Frank really has.

Still, that doesn't mean that he wants to date Frank. No matter what Gerard says.

Bunny huffs softly and presses her nose against the side of Mikey's face. The air coming from her nostrils is so warm.

"Please don't breathe fire on me," Mikey says.

She butts him again, as if trying to pull him out of his head. He sighs and runs his hand over her neck.

"You want to go back home?" he asks. They landed on a small plateau in the mountains some time ago when Bunny seemed to be getting tired and Mikey needed a break. Mikey figures they've been here for an hour or so, going by the sun. Gerard's probably starting to worry.

He went flying with Bunny to get his mind off things, but it sort of backfired. He wishes he could just make his brain stop sometimes. At least he thinks he's figured some stuff out. He likes Frank a lot. He wants to get to know him better. He doesn't want a relationship. He's selfish. He's pretty sure about that last one.

Bunny huffs warm air against Mikey's neck and Mikey squirms, laughing. At least Bunny loves him, still.

"Okay, okay," Mikey says, pulling his goggles on and standing up. "Let's go."

Bunny lies down, letting Mikey climb into the saddle easily, and takes off when Mikey gives her the signal. She doesn't need guiding when Mikey tells her they're going home.

~

Mikey blinks his eyes open at the feel of gentle fingers in his head. Gerard's sitting on his bed. Mikey didn't hear him come in.

"Sorry," Gerard says. "Were you sleeping?"

"No," Mikey says.

"Oh. Well, it's pretty late. Well, not that late, but. Almost four."

"Okay," Mikey says.

"You don't want breakfast?" He's still petting Mikey's hair. Mikey would tell him to quit it, but it's kind of nice, and he's tired.

"Maybe later," he says. "I was reading." He points at the book he finished maybe an hour ago.

"Okay," Gerard says. "I was just checking. Bunny was getting worried."

Mikey closes his eyes and doesn't say anything.

"I'll go tell her you're fine. And maybe you'll come down later."

"Yeah," Mikey says, because he is a bit hungry. Maybe if he lies here for a bit more he can get up soon. He almost feels like it.

"Okay," Gerard says. "I was just coming from feeding her. I think she wants to play catch with her food sometimes, she kept nudging me."

"Fuck," Mikey says. "I forgot."

"What?" Gerard asks.

"I was supposed to go to Frank's today, get Bunny her tonic."

"Oh," Gerard says. "Well, I guess there's still time? Or you could go tomorrow."

"I think she'll be out by tomorrow. I was gonna buy it yesterday when I went by for more fire tonic, but—I think I forgot."

"You think you forgot?" Gerard asks.

"I think I wanted the excuse to go by again. But them I think I really did forget."

Gerard doesn't say anything as obvious or as complicated as "you like him". This is why he's Mikey's favorite. He usually would, but he's not saying it now.

"Can you go and get it?" Mikey asks.

"Are you sure?" Gerard asks. "Wouldn't you like to go yourself?"

"I just can't deal with people today," he says.

Gerard's hand pauses. "Oh."

"You don't count, stupid."

"Okay," Gerard says, and gently scratches at Mikey's head.

"Bunny needs it," Mikey says. "You'll go, right?"

"Of course," Gerard says. "I just have to make a quick call to a client first."

"Just don't forget."

"I won't," Gerard promises. "You know I don't forget important things."

Mikey closes his eyes and sinks against the pillow. "I'll be down soon," he says. He's getting hungry.

"Okay," Gerard says. "I'll see you later, then." He kisses Mikey's hair before he leaves. Mikey stays curled up in bed for just a bit more, and doesn't think about anything.

~

It's already starting to get dark outside when Mikey drags himself downstairs for some food. He steals some breakfast-y stuff from the kitchen—coffee and some bread—and goes to sit in the library.

Gerard's there and for a moment Mikey's so angry, because Gerard promised, but Gerard looks up and smiles and says, "Hey, you're up! I put the tonic near some of her food in the kitchen. I forgot where it goes."

Mikey takes in a deep breath and goes to sit in the armchair next to Gerard's.

"That's fine," Mikey says. "I'll get it later."

Gerard smiles at him, but softer this time. He goes back to his book, letting Mikey drink his coffee. It's quiet for a while.

"He asked after you," Gerard says.

"Oh," Mikey says. He's not sure whether he expected Frank to ask or not. It's kind of nice that he did. "What did you say?"

"That you weren't feeling so good today. He seemed concerned."

"Did you tell him it wasn't anything serious?"

"I said you'd probably be better soon," Gerard says.

Mikey nods. He really loves his brother.

He also knows Gerard's been waiting to meet Frank after that first time Mikey came back from the clinic and told Gerard everything about him. Gerard's not saying anything, though.

"So?" Mikey asks.

"He was really nice," Gerard says. "Funny. Cute. Hot. I can see why you like him."

Mikey shakes his head.

"Come on, Mikes," Gerard says gently. "I know you like him."

"That isn't—" Mikey cuts off, frustrated. He isn't sure how to explain to Gerard that that's not why he likes Frank. That it's about the way Frank looks at _him_. It makes him feel selfish, so he doesn't. He wouldn't be a very good boyfriend for Frank.

"He was helping a phoenix when I first went in," Gerard says. "Like a true hero."

Mikey smiles. "He's good at his job. And he really likes animals. He showed me some of the animals they keep there longer when I went by yesterday."

"Cool," Gerard says. "You should ask him out."

Mikey shakes his head, and drinks his coffee to avoid having to answer.

"Why not?" Gerard asks. "You like him. And I'm pretty sure he likes you."

Mikey's not sure why he would.

"There's no harm in asking," Gerard says.

"I don't want to ask," Mikey says. "I'm gonna go hang with Bunny."

"Mikey," Gerard says, sounding frustrated now.

"Please don't," Mikey says. "I can't talk about this right now."

He looks over, and is met with Gerard looking at him unexpectedly gently. "Okay," Gerard says. "Go have fun with Bunny."

Bunny's waiting for him outside her stable, soaking up the last rays of the fall sun. She's so excited to see him. She lets Mikey take his head and press his forehead against her nose, and she doesn't expect anything more from him than he can give.

~

"I just mean there's a bigger scene in the city," Gerard says. "Not that the bands we have here are bad."

Ray shakes his head, curls flying. "No, I know what you meant. I just think for a small place we're doing really well. Right, Mikey?"

Mikey shrugs and looks at the band that's currently setting up on stage. Gerard snorts. "Mikey goes to shows in the city all the time, dude, he might be biased."

"Yeah, but it's about how the shows compare," Ray says. "And we're not that far behind. Mikey?"

"I'm gonna get another drink," Mikey says. "You guys want anything?"

"Another beer?" Ray says.

"Do they have one of those cheese plates?" Gerard asks. "They usually do, right?"

"I'll check," Mikey says, and heads to the bar.

It's not that he doesn't want to talk to Gerard or Ray; he's just getting kind of twitchy in general. He orders two beers and a cheese platter, and looks around the small bar. It's not their regular place, but they still come here pretty often. The usual Thursday crowd is here, relaxing after work, some waiting for the band.

Gerard's right, Mikey goes to the city often, but that doesn't mean he doesn't like spending time here.

"Mikey?" someone asks.

Mikey turns and comes face to face with Frank.

"Hey!" Frank says, smiling. "I thought it was you."

"Hi," Mikey says. "What's up?"

Frank shrugs. "Not much. Thought I'd come check out the band, have a few drinks. You here on your own?"

"With my brother," Mikey says, "and our friend."

Frank doesn't turn to look where Mikey's pointing, just nods. "Oh, yeah, I met your brother the other day. He's really cool."

"He is," Mikey says, smiling.

Frank is not wearing his hospital clothes. He's wearing a dark t-shirt with a cardigan over it, and jeans. His hair is in his eyes. He looks really hot.

"Do you want to come hang?" Mikey asks. "Or are you here with anyone?"

"Lead the way," Frank says.

Mikey picks up the two beers, and stares at the cheese plate. "Uh."

"Let me," Frank says, and together they carry the stuff over to the table.

"What would I have done without you," Mikey says, aiming for teasing.

"Starved," Frank says. "Obviously."

"Gerard would have starved," Mikey says, and sits down. "Gee, you remember Frank?"

"Of course," Gerard says, smiling brightly. "Hi, Frank. How's that phoenix?"

"He's good," Frank says. "Much better now."

Gerard grins and Frank smiles back, and Mikey tries not to stare at Frank's face to see if he smiles at others the way he smiles at Mikey.

"And this is Ray," Mikey says. "Ray, this is Frank; he's the vet I took Bunny to."

"Hey," Ray nods. "You used to be in that one band, right? I can't remember the name."

"I was in many," Frank says. "Don't have a lot of time anymore. But I've totally seen you around."

Ray grins and effortlessly pulls Frank into a discussion about music. Mikey drinks his beer and tries to avoid Gerard's gaze.

"You here alone, Frank?" Gerard asks after a while.

"I think some of my friends are backstage," Frank says. "I was actually heading out for a smoke when I saw Mikey."

"I could use a smoke," Mikey says.

Frank gives him a smile that feels blinding. "Great," he says. "Come on."

"Be back soon," Mikey tells Gerard and Ray, following Frank outside. He thinks he hears Gerard call out something about not needing to hurry, but it gets lost in the crowd.

They smoke in relative silence, Frank occasionally bringing up something from his work. Mikey doesn't have any work stories. Gerard's doing the art thing, at least. Mikey's not doing anything.

"It was really nice to meet Gerard when he came in for Bunny's tonic," Frank says. "There was this young two-headed dog and he was super great to it; totally helped calm it down."

"That's awesome," Mikey says, and stubs out his cigarette. He feels a bit cold.

"I missed you, though," Frank says.

Mikey pauses. "You saw me, like, maybe a week ago."

"I still missed you," Frank says.

Mikey doesn't know what to say. He doesn't know how to say, "Me too." It sounds like it should be easy.

"You're doing better now, right?" Frank asks. "He said you weren't feeling well."

"Yeah," Mikey says. "Totally better."

"Good," Frank says. "I was worried."

Mikey blinks. "Why?"

Frank stubs out his own cigarette and tilts his head. "Wouldn't you be?"

Mikey shrugs. "I—guess. Yeah. But why would—I don't get it."

"I like you," Frank says.

Mikey swallows. "Really?"

"Of course," Frank says.

"You mean like—"

"I mean like, I really like you. You didn't know?"

Mikey shrugs. "I thought maybe you were nice to everyone."

"You're really slow, aren't you."

"Probably," Mikey agrees.

Frank shakes his head. "Nah, you're not," he says. "Maybe just about this."

Mikey shrugs again. He did know. Probably, some part of him did. He just doesn't know why Frank would.

Frank steps closer. He's looking at Mikey's mouth. "Can I kiss you?" he asks, looking up, into Mikey's eyes. "I mean, do you want me to?"

Mikey's had two beers and Frank's right here, and Frank looks at him like he knows him, which should be scary but right now it's not. He leans down and presses his lips to Frank's.

There's nothing but the feeling of Frank against him, the taste of his lips, the pounding of Mikey's heart. Frank's amazing. Mikey likes him so much.

Frank wraps his arm around Mikey's waist, and Mikey pulls back.

"I'm not looking for a relationship," Mikey says. Because he's terrible, but he doesn't want to lie to Frank.

"Oh," Frank says, falling back. Mikey can't look at his face. "Oh. Okay."

"Okay?" Mikey asks.

Frank laughs. It sounds kind of tired. "I really don't know what else to say. Okay, I guess. I mean. I don't really do casual."

"Yeah," Mikey says. "I kind of figured." Because Frank doesn't seem like the type. Because of course he's not.

"Thanks for telling me now, I guess," Frank says. "And not later."

"Sure," Mikey says. His stomach really hurts. "Of course."

"Okay," Frank says. "I'm gonna go back in, maybe find my friends. I—well, I'll probably see you at some point."

"I can still take you flying," Mikey says quickly. "If you want."

Frank gives him a weird look, but it's not mean. "Maybe," he says. "We'll see. I mean—fuck, Mikey, you're really great. I'm sure we can still be friends, I just have to get over myself."

"Right," Mikey says, swallowing hard. "Great."

He doesn't watch Frank walk back into the bar. His stomach hurts really bad. Probably the beer. 

He wraps his arms around himself and stares at the quiet street. It starts to rain.

~

Gerard finds him in Bunny's stable.

"Why didn't you tell anyone you were leaving?" Gerard asks. He sounds angry. Maybe scared.

"I told that one girl," Mikey says. "From the bakery. She said she'd give you the message. She didn't?"

"She did," Gerard admits. "I'm not talking about her."

Mikey frowns. "But then I did tell someone I was leaving. And she told you." Bunny makes a snorting noise, as if she's agreeing. Probably she's just tired, and wants them both to leave.

"Why didn't you tell _me_?" Gerard asks.

Mikey sighs and rests his head on Bunny's neck, wrapping his arms around it. Bunny didn't even blink when he came in earlier and climbed onto her back. Bunny's too good for him.

"Mikey," Gerard says. "What happened?"

"I kissed Frank."

"And?"

"And then I told him I didn't want a relationship."

"Why?" Gerard asks. He sounds baffled.

"Because I don't."

"But you like him," Gerard says. "I don't get it. You totally want to, like, kiss him and hold his hand and take him flying, I _know_ you."

Mikey closes his eyes and hides his face in Bunny's neck. "Don't."

"Mikey, please. Just tell me what the problem is."

"I can't do those things with him," Mikey says. "Or for him. I don't even know why he likes me."

"He likes you because you are awesome," Gerard says fiercely. "He'd be stupid not to like you."

Mikey sighs. "That's not the point. I'd be terrible in a relationship."

"Why?" Gerard says. "Mikey, you're _great_. And you like this dude, and care about him. Everything else will fall into place."

Mikey doesn't say that that's not how it works. Instead he says, "I'm selfish."

"Why?" Gerard asks. Mikey can hear him stepping closer. "Mikey, you're not."

"I like the way he looks at me," Mikey admits quietly. It makes his stomach twist.

"That doesn't make you selfish," Gerard says. "Why would that make you selfish?"

"I should like him for himself," Mikey says. "Not because of the way he makes me feel."

"Oh, Mikey."

Mikey turns his head away, eyes still closed. Maybe he can take Bunny out for a late night flight. He can't think of anything else while he's flying.

"Every time you come back from the clinic you tell me about something Frank said or did or whatever. I've seen your face when you think about him, Mikey. I know you like _him_. Not some idea of him."

"What if you're wrong?"

"I'm never wrong," Gerard says. "You care about him. I think—I think you're just scared, Mikes. Which is okay! It's okay to be scared. You just shouldn't let it stand in your way."

Mikey doesn't respond. Bunny is softly humming, like she agrees with Gerard. Or maybe she's just asleep.

"Mikey?"

"I'll come in soon," Mikey says. "Okay?"

"Okay," Gerard says after a pause. "It's getting cold. Do you want hot chocolate?"

"Maybe."

"I'll make enough for two," Gerard says. "It's—Mikey, it'll be okay."

"Yeah," Mikey says, and thinks about how he fucked everything up with Frank. He really likes Frank. He's just being a coward about it. "Okay."

He listens to Gerard walk away and hugs Bunny tighter, thinking about how he'll take her flying tomorrow.

~

"Mikey," Frank says, eyes wide. "Is Bunny okay?" He looks surprised. Mikey's not sure why, it's only been, like, two weeks since the night at the bar. It hasn't been that long. Maybe Frank thought he wouldn't come by again.

"She's fine," Mikey says. "I just had a question about the food tonic."

"Oh, okay," Frank says, and puts the small cat he's holding down on the counter.

"Who's this?" Mikey asks.

"Max," Frank says. "He's having digestive problems, but I think the massage should have helped. The owner will come to pick him up in an hour or so." He puts the cat back in its cage, carefully closing the door, and steps away from the counter. "So what's up?"

"Well, Bunny's still eating a lot, and I use the tonic for her meals every morning and night, going by the amount of food, like you said. So I'm gonna run out of it soon, but she's not really growing as fast? And I wondered if I can cut back on it at some point."

Frank nods. "Yeah, yeah, totally. You should start leaving it out now, just give it to her for breakfast every other day, and then after every three days, and so on, and cut back on the amount as well."

"Okay, good," Mikey says. "Uh. Are you okay?"

Frank looks kind of gray, his face tired. His voice sounds weird, too.

"He's sick," Jamia says, coming out of the back. "He needs to rest."

Frank frowns. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," Mikey says.

Frank directs his frown at Mikey, but then he starts coughing. It doesn't last long, but it definitely doesn't sound good. "Fuck," Frank says weakly when he's done and presses a hand to his stomach.

"You really are sick," Mikey says.

"That's what I've been telling him for like weeks now," Jamia says. "Frank, you're sick. Frank, you need a break. Frank, I can ask Dewees to help and we can manage the clinic for a while. Frank, get some fucking rest."

Frank crosses his arms, still scowling. "I don't need a break, I can still do my job."

"Aren't you infecting your patients?" Mikey asks.

"It's just a cold," Frank says. "It doesn't work like that."

Mikey gives Jamia a questioning look.

"Don't worry," she says. "I'm not letting him do any operations, at least. He's just being stubborn."

Frank coughs again, looking miserable. And stubborn.

Mikey frowns. "Did you get sick when we were smoking outside? It was really cold that night."

He realizes after a beat what he said, and curses himself.

Frank just shrugs. "Maybe. So is that all you wanted to know? About Bunny?"

"Uh," Mikey says. "Yeah. Do you want, like, coffee or something? I could go by that coffee shop."

Frank blinks up at him, then smiles. "No," he says. "No, sorry. I just have a headache. Don't tell Jamia, but I probably should rest," he ends in a whisper.

Mikey looks over to where Jamia is stocking food bags. She's giving Frank a pitying look. "I think she heard you," Mikey says.

Frank snorts, then starts coughing again. Mikey reaches out to steady him when he sways.

"Shit, Frank, you should really lie down."

Frank shakes his head. "It's fine. I'll sit, rest for a bit."

"Okay," Mikey says. "I guess I'll get out of your hair." His hand is still on Frank's shoulder. Frank feels kind of warm. "Get better soon, dude."

"Thanks," Frank says, smiling. "You—you know I meant it, right? You can come by any time."

"Yeah," Mikey says. Frank's smile hasn't changed. Mikey's not sure what that means.

The way Frank's smile makes Mikey feel hasn't changed, either.

"I'll see you soon, then," Mikey says. "You need to come by and check out Bunny, maybe come flying with me."

Frank nods. "When I'm better I'd totally be up for that."

Mikey smiles. He thinks about moving in for a hug, but Frank is sick. Maybe he wouldn't appreciate it.

"See you," Frank says softly. He sounds fond. Maybe Mikey didn't fuck everything up. Maybe he can even fix this.

Mikey leaves the clinic, his stomach warm and his mind whirling.

~

There's no one in the clinic when Mikey walks in. Only Greg chirps at him.

"I'll be right there," Jamia calls from the back.

"It's okay," Mikey calls back, hoping she'll hear him. He wonders around, checking out some of the new toys they've gotten. Maybe he'll buy Bunny a gigantic plushy cow. He has no idea how he'd get it home, though. He wonders how they got it in the clinic. He smiles, thinking about Frank dragging that thing around.

Greg chirps at him again and Mikey rolls his eyes. "Relax," he says. "I'm just looking."

"Sorry, I—oh, hey, Mikey."

Mikey looks over to see Jamia coming out of the back room, carrying a young firecat.

"Oh my god," Mikey says. "She is so cute."

Jamia grins. "And a rascal," she says. "Broke her paw when she got stuck on the roof, apparently."

Mikey makes a sad face. "But she's gonna get better?"

"Yeah, I just put a cast on it," Jamia says. "And your owner will be right by to pick you up, won't she?" She scratches behind the cat's ears and she purrs. Jamia smiles. She looks pretty frazzled, overall. "Did you need something?"

"Well, I might buy something for Bunny. But actually I brought this for Frank." He shows Jamia the coffee he picked up on the way here.

"Aw, that's really sweet, Mikey," Jamia says. "But Frank's really sick."

"How sick?" Mikey asks, frowning.

"Honestly? He's pretty bad. His doctor wants to send him to the city, to the hospital there, but their dragon is out of town for the whole week, and getting the city hospital to send one over would be too expensive for Frank."

"What about the train?"

Jamia shakes her head. "They're not sure that would be so good for him."

"It's barely two hours," Mikey says.

Jamia shrugs. "Two hours on a ratty old train in the condition he's in? I kind of agree with them."

"Where is he now?"

"In the hospital."

"Shit, really?"

Jamia nods sadly.

Mikey feels cold inside. "And there's nothing they can do for him?"

"No, they're keeping a close eye on him and all, it's just he'd get better care in the city hospital."

"What's wrong?" Mikey asks. "The cough sounded bad, but—"

Jamia shakes her head. "It's a combination of things, I don't really know either. That's why they want him in the other hospital, too."

"Okay," Mikey says. He's feeling totally off balance.

Jamia sighs. "Sorry, I totally dumped this on you, but—oh, hey, sweetie."

Mikey turns to see a little girl come in, the door falling closed behind her, and run up to Jamia. "Is she okay?" she asks.

"She's gonna be just fine," Jamia says, smiling sweetly, and leaning down to explain to the girl how to take care of her cat. An older woman follows the girl in, looking tired but friendly and greets Jamia warmly.

The clinic looks exactly the same. But it's missing something. Mikey wraps his arms around his stomach, feeling a bit sick himself. There has to be something he can do.

"Jamia," he says. "Jamia, what about Bunny?"

"What about Bunny?" Jamia asks, looking up from her clients.

"What if Bunny and I fly Frank to the hospital?"

Jamia doesn't say anything for a moment. Then she smiles. "That could work."

~

They've never used a carrier on Bunny, so they opt for having Frank up in the saddle with Mikey instead. She's used to that at least, and the road isn't gonna be too long.

Frank's bundled up, wearing two coats, a hat and a large scarf, with the ends of the scarf hidden inside the coat. He's also sick and confused and grumpy.

It takes a bit to convince him to get on Bunny, but with reassurances that no, he won't fall, and yes, Bunny's okay with it, and yes, he will feel better after this, they finally get him seated in front of Mikey.

Mikey wraps one arm firmly around Frank's waist, pulling him back to rest against his chest, and signals for Bunny to lift off. Bunny's a total pro by now, and doesn't need any more directions. Mikey will just have to guide her to the hospital once they get to the city.

"You know," Frank says, wheezing. "Dragons can fly up to around thirty five thousand feet if needed."

"That's awesome," Mikey says. "But we're not going that high."

"Good," Frank says. "Because they'd be fine. But we'd be fucked. And my breathing's fucked anyway." He coughs a little, and Mikey has to hold him close to make sure he doesn't tip over to the side.

"Yeah, I could tell. How about you close your eyes and rest, Frankie?"

"But I want to see where we're going."

Mikey presses his lips to Frank's temple. He's really hot. Possibly delirious. They're basically hoping that the flight won't be worse for him than the train ride. At least it'll be faster, and Frank's safe up here.

"I'm really tired," Frank says. He's hard to hear over the wind. Mikey can _feel_ the way his breath is rattling, which is kind of scary. "This is nice, though," Frank says.

"Yeah?" Mikey asks. They're already flying over the city, so he starts guiding Bunny toward the area the hospital is in.

Frank doesn't answer. He seems to have fallen asleep; Mikey wishes he had two arms free to hold him. Bunny's good, though, she doesn't take any fast turns, probably sensing that she has to be careful.

Frank makes a sound that's half-sob half-groan. Mikey rests his chin on Frank's shoulder, tells him, "We're almost there, Frankie. You're gonna be fine."

The hospital is in sight now and it doesn't take long for Mikey to guide Bunny to land. She touches down gracefully on the roof, right on the landing zone, and Mikey lets out a breath. Frank shifts in his arms, probably trying to figure out what's happening.

"We're here, Frankie," Mikey says. "They're gonna fix you up."

"Next time," Frank says, voice weak. "Next time we fly I'm gonna try not to be so sick."

"At least you weren't actually sick," Mikey points out.

Frank laughs, trailing off into a cough, and rests his head against Mikey's chest. Mikey wraps his arm tighter around Frank and waits for the nurses to get to them.

~

"No, ma'am, your dog is fine," Frank says. "The extra head is totally normal, because, well, your dog is a two-headed dog."

Mikey bites his lip and tries to sneak past the client who's just discovered their pet is magic and to the area of the clinic where Greg the bird is sitting without Frank immediately noticing him.

"You know he's not blind, right?" Greg says.

Mikey jumps ten feet in the air. He might scream.

"Mikey?" Frank asks, sounding alarmed. "What are you doing?"

"Fine," Mikey says, waving his arms. "I'm fine. Ignore me."

Frank frowns and turns back to his client.

"You can talk?" Mikey asks Greg.

"I'm Jamia's familiar," Greg says. "Not just a bird."

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

"I wasn't interested in talking to you," Greg says bluntly. "What's in the bag?"

"Lunch," Mikey says. "For Frank."

Greg gives him a look. Mikey didn't know birds could look so smug.

"How's he doing?" Mikey asks.

"Ask him," Greg says, and flaps his wings, flying back into his cage.

"Mikey?" Frank asks.

Mikey blinks, realizing the lady with the dog has left, and there's only him and Frank in the room now. Jamia must be in the back or out on another home visit.

"How are you?" Mikey asks, walking up to the counter.

"Better," Frank says. "A lot better. I mean, I'm back at work."

"Well, you were still working when you were sick," Mikey points out.

Frank laughs. "Yeah, I guess. I'm better, though. Got back to work yesterday."

"I heard," Mikey says. "From Jamia." Jamia had called him, because he'd asked Jamia to call him when Frank got back in. Frank looks a lot better. A lot better than he looked in the hospital the last time Mikey went to see him. He hasn't seen him since Frank got released, though, and Frank is—he's better. He's okay.

"So," Frank says, sticking his hands in his coat pockets. "Why are you here?"

"To see you," Mikey says. "Obviously. Oh, and I got you lunch."

Frank's eyes light up when Mikey puts the sandwich bag on the counter.

"There's coffee there, as well," Mikey says.

"You're a lifesaver," Frank says, reaching for it. "Jamia's out and won't get back for a while, and I forgot to pack lunch and—you're a lifesaver. Basically."

Mikey shrugs. "I just thought you could use it, even if you had already eaten. To get your strength back up."

"I seriously do," Frank says. He takes the sandwich out, then pauses and looks at Mikey, and sets the sandwich down again. "Why are you really here?" He sounds nervous. Or maybe hopeful. Mikey thinks it's either of the two. Or maybe both; he can't read Frank that well yet. He wants to get better at it.

"I was worried," Mikey says.

"About..."

"About you?" Mikey asks. "I wanted to see you. Is that weird?"

"No," Frank says softly. "No, I mean. You did save me, right?"

"The doctors did that," Mikey says. "I just helped out a friend."

Frank nods. "Yeah," he says. "A friend." He sounds disappointed. That Mikey _can_ read.

Mikey runs his hand through his hair and scratches his neck. He's doing this all wrong. He had a plan, a plan to make sure he didn't fuck up again, but he's forgotten most of it.

"I really like you," he says.

Frank tilts his head. "I like you, too."

"And I'm sorry. If I hurt you. When I said I didn't want to date you."

"You said you weren't looking for a relationship," Frank points out. "I tried not to take it personally, dude."

"Tried?"

Frank shrugs. "Doesn't matter," he says. "You're a good friend, and a good dude, and I didn't want to lose that."

Mikey nods. He doesn't want to lose Frank, either. He wants to know everything about Frank, even the annoying things, and he wants Frank to know _him_. It might not be that scary.

"I _really_ like you," Mikey says helplessly.

Frank's expression softens. "Yeah? You mean, like..."

"I mean like I want to kiss you again. And I won't pull away this time."

Frank nods. "You said you didn't want a relationship."

"I wasn't looking for one," Mikey says. "And I don't know how to be in one, I guess. And I was—scared."

"Why?" Frank asks. He walks around the counter, stopping in front of Mikey, and leaning against it. His eyes are wide and Mikey feels like he can't look at him for too long without getting lost.

Mikey shakes his head. "I don't know." He doesn't know how to explain it to Frank without sounding weird. He's not sure how to explain the inside of his brain to someone who's not Gerard.

"Okay," Frank says. "That's okay. I was scared, too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Frank says. "Life's scary, you know?"

Mikey makes a face. "Is that one of those lines?"

Frank laughs. "What line?"

"I don't know," Mikey says. "Those lines that don't mean anything."

"I don't know," Frank says. "But I want to kiss you, too."

"Cool," Mikey says, and leans in, because this part he can do.

Frank wraps his arms around Mikey's waist immediately this time. Mikey presses closer and curls his fingers in Frank's hair, kissing him deep. Frank's a great kisser. He smells vaguely of disinfectant and hospital stuff, and he's the perfect height, and Mikey feels like he could keep kissing him for a long time.

Frank's the one who pulls back first; he leans his forehead against Mikey's shoulder and takes a couple of deep breaths.

"You okay?" Mikey asks, trailing his hand down to rest on Frank's neck.

"Good," Frank says. "Still run out of breath a bit faster than usual."

"Oh," Mikey says, suddenly remembering the scary way Frank was wheezing when he was sick. "Shit. I'm so glad you're okay."

Frank laughs and presses a kiss to Mikey's jaw. "Thanks," he says. "I'm really glad you're here." He steps back, but keeps a casual hand on Mikey's waist. It feels nice.

"I'll probably be really bad at dating," Mikey says. "I haven't really done it much."

Frank shrugs. "Doesn't matter," he says. "I like you. You like me. Right?"

"I really like you," Mikey says. It still feels a bit scary to admit.

"Then we'll figure the rest out," Frank says. "There are two points. Do you want to see anyone else besides me?"

"No," Mikey says. He really doesn't. He doesn't want to kiss anyone besides Frank, either.

"Okay," Frank says. "So, monogamous. We're on the same page. The second part is just communication. We don't need to do whatever other people think is dating, as long as it works for us, you know?"

Mikey nods. "So what do you wanna do?"

"I really, really want to go flying with you," Frank says, and Mikey grins wide. "And kiss you. And I'm really into how you brought me lunch, so if you want to do that again, then I guess I'd be down for that."

"I could do that," Mikey says. "You really want to do that?"

"Do what?"

Mikey shrugs. "Date me. I don't know." He takes a deep breath. "I really liked you, you know? For a while? And then you kissed me and I was just so afraid of fucking up that I—I didn't even try. But I want to."

"Me too," Frank says, furrowing his brow. "Didn't I tell you?"

"You did," Mikey says. "I don't know."

"Hey," Frank says. "I liked you from the moment you came in with a dragon you'd stolen because she was sick and you wanted to take care of her."

"Oh," Mikey says. "That's really fucking sweet."

Frank laughs. "I guess."

"I like you," Mikey says. It gets easier every time. "Also, you're not allowed to get sick again."

"Noted," Frank says, and pulls Mikey down for another kiss.

~

"So how do I land her?" Frank asks, voice almost being carried away by the wind.

"Just tug on the reigns and tell her to land," Mikey says. "She'll know what to do."

He can feel Frank take a deep breath, stomach rising and falling under Mikey's hand.

"Land, Bunny," Frank says, and Bunny complies immediately. She obeys Frank easily, especially considering this is the first time Frank has the reigns.

It's not the first time they're flying together, though, and the feel of Frank in his arms is getting so familiar to Mikey he's sure it will be weird to ever fly alone again. Which doesn't mean he's not going to; taking Bunny out for a ride on his own is still one of his favorite things, a way to clear his mind.

But having Frank up here is great, too, whether he's sitting in front of Mikey or behind him, arms wrapped firmly around Mikey's waist.

Mikey rests his chin on Frank's shoulder, and waits for Bunny to land, making a note in his head to bring Gerard flying sometime soon before he gets jealous. Gerard and Frank get along great, of course, but Mikey can tell Gerard misses his company.

At least he doesn't have to worry about that right now. Bunny lands perfectly, as always, and Mikey can hear Frank whisper a quiet, "Yesss."

He grins and presses a kiss to Frank's cheek, and dismounts, helping Frank down as well. Frank smiles and steps in to kiss him immediately.

"You haven't even taken a look around," Mikey says, laughing. He's brought Frank to one of his favorite quiet places. There are a few trees under which Bunny can find shade if she wants to, and the view is pretty fucking great.

"Later," Frank says, and pulls off Mikey's goggles and hat. Mikey fights the urge to flatten down his hair and instead wraps his fingers around Frank's wrist.

"Seriously," he says. "Check out the view."

Frank doesn't look away from him. "Later," he says. "I just flew a dragon. Better yet, I flew my boyfriend's dragon, and it was fucking awesome, _and_ I had my boyfriend pressed up close the whole way here and now I can _finally_ do something about it."

There's a loud thump and Mikey looks back to see Bunny has laid down on the grass and is pointedly looking away from them. Mikey laughs, Frank joining him.

"Think she's embarrassed by us?" Frank asks.

"Probably," Mikey says. "So what were you saying?" He circles his fingers around Frank's wrist and Frank grins. Mikey wants to get his riding gloves off and touch Frank's bare skin.

Frank seems to have different ideas, though, because he stops Mikey when he starts to take off the gloves.

"I remember you said you were excited about getting these gloves."

"And now I'm really excited about getting them off," Mikey says.

"You always take them off," Frank says. "Keep them this time."

Mikey eyes him, biting his lip. "Okay."

Frank smiles. Mikey knows Frank loves seeing him in his riding outfit—they're in the process of getting Frank a proper one, too, which Mikey is _also_ excited about. He likes the way Frank looks at him when he's wearing it. He likes the way Frank looks at him always.

He likes the way Frank presses up close, kisses him softly, and whispers, "I can't think when you're looking at me like that."

It makes him feel special. But most of all, it makes him feel happy and warm.


End file.
